Plainville Collecting Residents Christmas Trees

PLAINVILLE – The flow of discarded Christmas trees has begun at the town transfer station.

"We got about 10 trees so far today," town public works foreman Michael Widger said Monday. "We estimate we'll collect about 600."

The trees are stockpiled at the brush pike at the town public works yard on Granger Lane and eventually will be chopped into mulch which town crews will use for landfill cover, on embankments and other landscaping needs, he said.

As of Dec. 26, residents can drop off Christmas trees through January free of charge at the transfer station. Resident who do not bring their trees to the station should place their trees curbside for a townwide collection Monday Jan. 12 by town roadways crews, weather permitting.

People who cannot get their trees to the curbside for that one-day pick-up can call the public works office at 860-793-0221, ext 208 to get their name on a later pick-up date, according to a notice posted on the town website.

"We would prefer that people bring trees to the transfer station because if it snows before the Jan. 12 collection, the trees they put out could be buried or frozen to the ground," Widger said.

Anyone who drops off a tree or puts one on curbside should clean it of lights, wires and decorations, he said. Trees brought to the transfer station should be taken out of any bags or coverings used to wrap them for transport. Trees put curbside for pickup should be clear of snow and ice and not block sidewalks or roads,

In spring the town will use a large wood grinding machine to chip the collected trees into mulch. Widger said the town has rented the large device because it is powerful enough not to be damaged by any bits of wires left on trees by people who fail to clean their old trees before discarding the, he said.